With the remarkable milestone that his 2019 single “Middle Child” has reached, J. Cole has finally received his first-ever diamond plaque.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards diamond certification to a record when it sells 10 million certifiable units in the United States; Cole accomplished this accomplishment for the first time with the 2019 hit.
“Middle Child” peaked at No. 4 a week after debuting at No. 26, but it never reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, despite selling eight figures in sales.
But it has since become one of Cole’s most enduring hits.
While his 2014 single “No Role Modelz” was earlier rumored to have sold over 10 million copies two years ago, the RIAA never formally recognized the song as a diamond.
With the certification, J. Cole becomes one of the few well-known Hip Hop artists to own a diamond plaque.
With six overall, rapper Eminem is in the lead. The other three are for the singles “Lose Yourself,” “Not Afraid,” and the Rihanna collaboration “Love the Way You Lie.” The other three are for his albums The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and Curtain Call: The Hits.
Each of the following artists has multiple diamond records: Drake, 2Pac, Kanye West, Cardi B, and JAY-Z. Hov just received his third for “Empire State of Mind.”
With nine diamond singles across all genres, Post Malone is presently the most successful artist, followed by Rihanna and The Weeknd, each with seven.
J. Cole, who had previously acknowledged feeling inferior to Drake and the Compton rapper, has now joined the diamond club, surpassing his opponent Kendrick Lamar, one of the “Big Three.”
On his 2021 song “Heaven’s EP,” he rapped, “Some people say I’m running third / They threw the bronze at me / Behind Drake and Dot / Yeah, them n-ggas is superstars to me.”
The native of North Carolina also withdrew from his most recent rap duel with Kendrick after criticizing him on “7 Minute Drill,” which caused controversy among rappers and rap fans alike.
At his April Dreamville Festival, he brashly apologized to his “Forbidden Fruit” partner, stating he was “lucky to even be beside [Kendrick and Drake], much alone chase their greatness.”
